President Donald Trump smiles as pastor Paula White prepares to lead the room in prayer, during a dinner for evangelical leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House, Monday, Aug. 27, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)Alex Brandon

Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear issued a statement today defending his decision to attend a meeting Monday of ministers with President Donald Trump.

Greear said he was not one of the more than 100 ministers who signed a Bible for Trump, with the inscription, "History will record the greatness that you have brought for generations."

TV Evangelist Paula White read the inscription and said, "We pray this prayer. If you all agree with that, say 'Amen,'" according to a transcript of the event.

White, senior pastor of New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Fla., serves as chair of the Evangelical Advisory Board for Trump.

Greear was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention in June and will be presiding at the next annual convention at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham in June 2019. There about 16 million Southern Baptists nationwide, more than a million in Alabama.

"I received an invitation from the White House to attend a dinner in which the administration would address faith leaders," Greear wrote in a statement posted Tuesday on Twitter. "I weigh every decision carefully and consulted with a number of leaders across the political spectrum. In this case, I chose to attend in order to listen and meet other leaders and offer perspective where asked. Witness in the public square requires some presence in it, but I'm just as committed as ever to decoupling the church from partisan politics, and my desire for the SBC remains what it always has been - promoting a culture in which the gospel is above all. Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zones for the sake of the gospel. I did not sign the Bible - I was not asked and was not aware it was being given."